ABSTRACT
The Mongols established an extensive postal relay system throughout their vast empire during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. During the time of the Mongol Empire, the Mongolian word jam denoted a fixed relay station staffed by relay station keepers and post-horse keepers, from which official travelers were to obtain remounts, provisions, lodgings, and other necessities for their journeys. The Mongol jam system impressed many foreign visitors as well as various subject peoples in China, Central Asia, the Middle East, and Russia. Scholars have considered that the Mongolian term jam as well as the jam system originated from China. A rudimentary form of the postal relay institution was in operation during the time of Chinggis Khan. The Mongol post road system considerably expanded over the course of the two massive military campaigns against South China and the Middle East during the reign of Mongke.
